Background Cases
by sarcasticallydelicious
Summary: While different backgrounds can make things more difficult, they can also have perks. Caitlyn/Vi flavored
1. Chapter 1

Mogul n. 1: (capitalized Mogul) an Indian Muslim of or descended from one of several conquering groups of Mongol, Turkish, and Persian origin; especially: Great Mogul, 2: a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area

* * *

"Whoa."

It was not an uncommon utterance for Vi, but the look on her face was. For once, she was at a loss for words.

Maybe she should have brought Vi home sooner, Caitlyn thought.

She supposed her family's estate was impressive, particularly by Piltover standards. Just from their position in the entrance hall, the vaulted ceilings, the massive hextech chandelier, the elaborate light sconces all spoke of wealth and order and care, all of which were in short supply on Piltover streets.

Yes, money certainly made riding out the city's lawlessness more comfortable, though it had not insulated them from it entirely. Not that you could tell just by looking. Money bought seamless repairs, too, at least of the physical signs.

Caitlyn set her gun down in its place in the foyer. It fit neatly in its slot, blending seamlessly into the rest of the polished wood and metal.  
In a rare show of manners, Vi left her gauntlets beside it. The blocky metal and tarnished plates stood as a single dull point on the otherwise shining wall.

Vi noticed it too. She tried not to show it, but Caitlyn couldn't see why else she suddenly blustered for a fight.

"Why would anyone need a vase that big? You could fit the entire station armory in that thing."

The vase actually did hold a tripwire and a tranquilizer gun on a mechanism to incapacitate intruders. Caitlyn began to say as much, but Vi was already onto her next mark in her target rich environment.

"The gold from that frame alone would have fed me for my entire childhood! And why does that clock have a dome on it? Are you expecting it to make a run for it or something?"

She continued like this as she followed Caitlyn through the length of the mansion.

Caitlyn let her vent. Her parents weren't home to hear.

Finally she reached the library.

"Wait here for a minute," Caitlyn ordered before ducking into the room.

She took a bit longer than Vi had been expecting, but then Vi was not the most patient person. When Caitlyn finally reemerged, Vi had some winners planned. "What's that? Do your folks have some extra fancy gun polish specifically for rich snobs? Or maybe-"

Caitlyn tucked the book, the whole reason they were here in the first place, under her arm and held the box out to Vi.

Vi took it, unhooking the latch and opening it probably a little more violently than was necessary. She almost dropped it; the lid revealed the creepiest not-quite-child face she had ever seen. The porcelain doll stared up at her soullessly from its massive bonnet of ruffles and lace.

"This was what my father wanted," Caitlyn said when Vi looked back at her questioningly. "Want to help me smash the stupid thing?"

Vi couldn't reclaim her gauntlets fast enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Majuscule n. a large letter (such as a capital)

* * *

"What did she use?" Caitlyn griped, attacking a particularly stubborn bit of paint as if it had personally wronged her. "I swear, when it comes to vandalizing, that girl is too smart for her own good."

Vi rolled her eyes and wrung out her rag. It would have been easier with her gauntlets, but since they were currently being purged of Jinx's latest defacement, that wasn't an option. Instead she had to stick her actual hands into the soapy water; not a sensation she had missed. And her wrists were killing her. "You're giving her too much credit. The hooligan network is really good at figuring out how to best cause destruction."

"What I want to know," Caitlyn said carefully, not looking up from her work, "is how she got ahold of your gauntlets."

Vi swallowed. As it happened, she had a pretty good idea of how it may have happened. It was a testament to her amazing detective ability, obviously, and not just because she'd left them thrown in an alley while she arm wrestled some buddies from before she joined the force. The cowards hadn't wanted to face her with her extra mechanical muscle. Not that she hadn't beaten them handily without them.

Of course, when she came back, her gauntlets were completely trashed. In hindsight, running into them had been a little too convenient.

Eyes wide and innocent, Vi shrugged. "I have no idea."

Caitlyn grabbed a stick, poking and pulling at the gooey pink substance between poking from between the metal thumb and the palm. "How did she get this gunk inside every joint? That takes way more patience than I thought she had."

She paused, bringing a hand to her chin. "But if she got in here, she could have sabotaged the whole mechanism." Her frown deepened. "You don't think she…"

They both jumped back, scrambling as far away from the mechanical hands as they could in the restricted space in the police station garage.

Nothing happened.

"Look, we're going to have to take the whole thing apart to make sure we get everything." Caitlyn sighed, putting a hand to her temple. "I've been working on an upgraded version with my mother. It's still a prototype, but-"

"Hell yeah!" Vi clapped an arm around Caitlyn's shoulders. Caitlyn grimaced, but it was probably just because Vi's hands were still covered in soap suds and grimy water. Vi gave her a shake, which earned a deepened scowl. "You're always looking out for little old me."

Caitlyn extracted herself and started clearing out the back of their police vehicle to transport the gauntlets.

Vi started shaking the water of her second set of hands. "So did you two add any awesome tricks? Like a rocket punch? You know I've been wanting a rocket punch. Is that it, or is it something even cooler?"

Caitlyn pursed her lips as they loaded the useless hunks of metal into the trunk. "You'll see when we get there." A glint flashed in her eye. "But yes, there is a rocket punch. Among other things."


	3. Chapter 3

Epigram n. 1: a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought, 2: a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying, 3: expression marked by the use of epigrams

* * *

"Seriously?"

Vi flinched violently, crushing her binoculars with a crunch. Next to her, Lux let out a yelp that she cut short with a hand over her mouth.

Caitlyn leaned against the wall behind them, arms crossed and lips pursed.

"Really Vi? Lurking in the bushes?"

Vi pivoted without rising from behind one of the Institute's garden's numerous and otherwise useless decorative hedges. "What can I say? All that tall grass on the Rift has given me a false sense of security."

"I would ask _why_ you're spying on Jayce and Ezreal, but I don't want to know."

Lux smiled up at her innocently, eyes sparkling in the bright afternoon sun. "Oh, it's nothing that special."

Vi made a pouty face. "How did you find us, anyway?"

"You do remember my profession, don't you? I would hope so, since technically it's yours as well."

"Yeah, about that. Are you sure you didn't forget that yourself?"

Caitlyn's eyes narrowed. "Just say whatever you're getting at."

"Okay, if you insist." Vi knocked three times on the ornamental planter beside her.

Nothing happened.

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. The lenses on her hat retracted, looking equally unimpressed.

"Hey," Vi hissed at the pot, rapping on it harder with her metal knuckles. "That's the signal, remember?"

Lulu's face appeared from the foliage, eyes bleary. She yawned dramatically, pudgy arms stretching out to their full unimpressive length. She blinked a few more times before finally noticing Caitlyn.

"Oh!" the little Yordle exclaimed, "My lines! Um…" She stood for a minute with a hand on her chin. Then she thumped her staff on the ground, shooting a shower of sparks into the air and conjuring a sparkling purple scroll that trailed onto the planter where she stood and off the other side before disappearing into the bushes.

"Dearly delighted," Lulu proclaimed official, "we gather here, on this most frabjous of days to reaniverserize the tallest top hat on the case!"

She paused, then leaned over to Vi. "You might want me to read this over next time. It doesn't make any sense."

Lux giggled.

Vi sighed and stood. "What we were trying to say was…happy birthday!"

Caitlyn stared at her, shocked. "What?"

Lux jumped up, tossing her wand. The light shimmered around the table where Ezreal and Jayce sat, revealing loud decorations, poorly wrapped presents, and excessively frosted cupcakes.

"Hey, I'm a detective too," Vi said, throwing an arm over Caitlyn's stiff shoulder, "you wouldn't tell me when it was, so I did some snooping around the office. But you know, it'd be easier to keep it a secret if you hadn't written it in your personnel file."

"Yes, I suppose it would," Caitlyn replied with a smile.


End file.
